Chapter 12: Troubles

The dense jungle, where different kinds of monsters and animals tread, was surrounded by a thick fog. Known among people as clouds that reach the ground, it had spread all over the island during the night.

Some monsters that are endemic to that place felt a foreign presence that crept. In fear, they fled, creating rustling noise in the thick vegetation.

'hisss'

Two heads poked from a nearby bush. Looking at the surroundings, it wondered why the multiple presences of animals it had detected earlier had all ran away. A question mark floated on each of its head. It continued to slither on the ground looking to and fro different directions, hissing as if trying to find something, or someone.

It was actually looking for its master, the person who summoned it. It regretted wandering alone, since it had felt an alluring scent, prompting it to follow. It only realized too late that fog had thickened in the forest, making navigation and instead, would cause hallucinations to those who do not have enough mental strength.

'hisss'

But that 'scent' had been near. Its forked tongues could feel it close by. Not able to resist, it continued following the scent.

As it drew near, it heard multiple voices.

"Hey, did you know?"

"Really?" 'giggle'

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"You can't say! She's two timing?"

"How audacious!"

"And this girl here......"

There were multiple female voices that came from a few meters ahead. They were happily talking as if gossiping on someone. It had a bad feeling, but still became curious.

Poking its heads again, it saw a huge pond. The water was slightly bubbling, and yet it felt that the water's temperature was lukewarm and comfortable. Was it this pond that made the fog?

"Hey something is approaching."

"Really? Lets go get it!"

It panicked when the presences drew near closely to it, moving like phantoms. Before it could escape, it was already surrounded,

"Whoa! What is this creature!"

"A snake? It has two heads!"

"Its so cute!"

"Let's take it with us."

"Come here cutie!"

The snake, who was actually Alter's pet, Tiamat, did not know what to do. Surrounding Tiamat were beautiful maidens, with flowers and plants ornamenting them. Some of them have a light shade of blue on their skin, while others have green. And all of them were looking at Tiamat with affection, but the poor thing only saw grinning, hungry foxes.

'hissssssssssssssss'

It could only hiss in resignation as the maidens skillfully grabbed and took it away.

___________________________________________________________________

"Were lost......."

"Well that's fun."

Alter and Lilliana had been trying to find their way out of the forest, but a thick fog blocked their vision. They had just noticed that Alter's pet Tiamat was missing, and decided to set out for tomorrow. But they were not given a chance as the fog completely enveloped the whole forest.

"Hey! W-What do we do now?"

"For starters, lets try not to be separated."

"...Yeah. But how?"

Alter simply grabbed her hand.

"This is what you meant?!! I thought you have a rope or something."

"Well, I dont have a normal rope."

'But to hold hands is..... ', Lilliana thought, but did not say it aloud. 

Like this, they traversed through the jungle, wary of bogs and bottomless swamps. Still they did no progress, as they walked out of a thick bush, they found a familiar sight.

"This is the temple!!! We came back to where we came from!"

"Whew. This is such a pain."

They had just returned to the temple ruins. Lilliana was starting to lose her patience.

"Hey, Lily. I think we should rest here for tonight."

"It's Lilliana! Don't call me using weird nicknames!!"

"Right right. Then lets set up camp here."

The two chose a good spot in the ruins to rest. Lilliana took off her crimson armor, and wore only undershirt and her shorts, which were both revealing. Noticing Alter staring at her, she immediately chided him, albeit with reddened cheeks.

"Don't stare to much, you pervert."

'Then don't wear such worrisome clothes!' Alter shouted in his mind, amused.

The two made a campfire in the center of a roofless, ruined room. Its broken yet still standing walls made the two at ease against the unknown and the dark. Lilliana noticed that Alter was setting up something at the corners of the room.

"What is that?"

"Warding stones. We used this back then to repel wild creatures and monsters."

"I see..... back then, huh?"

Lilliana, since she was young, was already fascinated on the technologies of the Dark Ages, most of which were lost in time.

Seeing such 'artifacts' used by Alter casually, sparked again her curiousity.

"Hey hey. Tell me more about the Dark Ages before we sleep."

"How old are you to still want some bedtime stories!' Alter cried in his mind, afraid of saying it out loud.

"Lets go eat first."

"Okay. I only have fruits as rations. Do you have something?"

Alter used storage magic, taking out something. The light that had spread from the magic reformed to make two bottles of golden liquid. Lilliana dropped the apple she was holding, staring at the item that Alter had just taken out.

"Golden water...... Is that what I think it is?!"

"....Behold, its that."

Though Alter didn't really know what she was thinking, he just played along since her reaction was interesting.

"AMBROSIA!!!!"

"Oho? You knew?"

In Alter's time, Ambrosia was indeed important and expensive, used by players to slightly increase their stats permanently. Although the stats received would be random and was only limited to a single drink every week, it was very invaluable. 

"That's..... what they call the 'Food of the Gods' in legends!!!"

Lilliana had  read that a mortal may become immortal with one sip of Ambrosia. Alter, on the other hand decided to entertain himself with the naive girl.

"Can I drink it?!"

"........you can but.... its too risky, so no."

'What's too risky?!!! I'll take it!!"

'hehehe', Alter laughed evilly. This redhead's reactions are too interesting.

"It was said that drinking Ambrosia would kill those who are unworthy."

"R-really!!?"

"So if I were you, I won't risk my life."

"Uuuuuuu......"

Lilliana really wanted to try the Ambrosia, that according to the legend, would feel as if all her wants and desires have been fulfilled in a single drink. But she, in the end still feared for he life.

"That's why you are unworthy."

"Ehhh??"

"Those who are worthy will not hesitate and would drink this immediately."

A single drop of sweat fell from Lilliana's forehead. She was torn on whether to risk it or not. And Alter was currently enjoying this and laughed out secretly , only hidden skillfully by his poker face.

"I....I.... give it to me!!"

Lilliana grabbed the small bottle of golden liquid from Alter's hands and opened it. Breathing deeply, with a look of conviction, she drank it slowly.

"Mmmmmm!!!!!!!"

The sweet liquid that tasted better than honey flowed in her throat. Her hunger had alleviated, and she gave a smile of satisfaction as the drink itself was delicious, but felt there was something lacking.

"Eh? This is it?"

She felt a little disappointed. Was this really the legendary drink? she thought. But Alter immediately answered.

"You did not felt the true effect of drinking it because you anticipated the effects. You should have a clear mind, to experience what you wished for."

"R-really!!?? Why didn't you say so earlier?!!"

Lilliana pouted as she failed to feel the Ambrosia's true effects. And then she glued her eyes on Alter's ambrosia.

"Give it to me."

"No."

"I'll do anything."

Alter was unsure if what she just said was a normal flag or a death flag, so he'd rather play safe, drinking the Ambrosia in one gulp.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Lilliana made a tantrum after that, punching Alter until she felt satisfied. On the other hand.

"Itsh a deash frag no matter wha......."

The culprit got what he deserved.

And they slept, alternately guarding each other during the night

_________________________________________________

Atheneum

The capital of the Hellenic League. It was the largest city in the League. It was also the oldest known city that predates the Dark Ages. A center for arts, learning and philosophy, it boast itself as on par with the city of Roma, the capital of the Romanum Imperium.

 It houses the headquarters of the great naval fleet of the League, as well as the great dungeon of Acropolis, a Legendary difficulty dungeon where many dared enter but only few returned.

It was under the protection of , the goddess of War and Wisdom, as well as different other gods that reside or visit the city.

A small meeting was currently held in one of its castles, the Great port-castle of Piraeus.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Why should I lie in the presence of a god?"

There were currently four people in a secret room in the castle. They had been discussing on threats currently present on the League. And one of them had glowing gray eyes, unmistakably a goddess.

"Goddess Athena, what I had just said is true."

"I see......"

Athena was one of the celebrated gods of the League, and was also part of the Council of Olympus. She was wearing a gray dress that shone dimly in the dark, along with her eyes that exudes wisdom. She was speaking with a serpentine beastman, the king of Atheneum, .

 Wearing nothing but his circlet imbued with sapphires and white robes, he gave of an aura of nobility. But his face was creased and grave Not due to old age, but to the current problems they were now facing.

"First of all, the Imperium was straining our relations. Its almost inevitable that there would be war sooner or later."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"That would be grave, indeed. But we will not allow that to happen."

The two other members of the meeting were the elven deputy of the Hellenic emperor named and the dwarven hero .

"In fact, one of their gods, Neptune had his 'subordinates' muster near the castle of . It seems that they are trying to provoke us, but the Imperium had been trying to evade our questions."

"That's troubling. Should we send and the other war gods?"

Though Athena would rather go herself than trusting it to that bloodthirsty war god, she had no choice since she needs to help King Cecrops with the management of the large Athens. Antipater then proposed and idea.

"Should we send in the and the army?"

"No. We cannot spare the army for now. We have two fronts to battle against. And if there was not enough mannuing one side, the League would collapse."

Athena rejected Antipater's proposal. Not only the Imperium, but the Demon Army of King Solomon had been scouted of increased aggression on their borders. It was then that the dwarf made the best proposal possible.

"Since it has come to this, I'll personally ask the Adventurer's Guild for help."

"Indeed. That would  be the most plausible for now."

"But are you sure? The heroes might also be needed at the front lines."

Antipater questioned the proposal of Theseus, but the gray-bearded dwarf immediately replied.

"Unlike the army, these heroes do not follow orders from the top, my old friend. They are best suited against that rogue god."

Rogue God. It had been a term that was becoming more common these days. Athena was worried, as not only the Imperium, but also those from the Middle Kingdom and the Northern Gods have been showing signs.

"King Cecrops, what would you suggest?"

"I agree to send the heroes. Though I would have also liked for the war gods to assemble, since another troublesome report on Serifos have been received by my subordinates."

The three in front of the King frowned. They have never heard of this new report. Antipater worriedly asked.

"And its contents?"

"A had been spotted nearby the Island."

"WHAT?!"

Athena screamed in surprise. She, who had been present since the Dark Ages, had been rarely surprised by anything. But this news had her young-looking face looked ashen.

'Wh-whats wrong?"

"For her make such a face..."

The dwarf and the elf were worried on what could make a goddess feel despair. Athena inquired them of this.

"You don't know about Gorgons??"

"Hmm.... aren't they just a little bit stronger than your average ?"

"High leveled snake monsters."

Athena could only make a sigh, as these two didn't face the horrors of the Dark Ages.

"They were the first offspring of . And worse, they were immortal."

Antipater and Theseus froze at the mention of Echidna. They have heard stories of how Athena and multiple other gods, along with the people of the civilization who mysteriously disappeared fought against this dreaded monster, and managed to win in the end.

"Thats.....troublesome indeed."

"....for now, I will ask the heroes to try to keep it at bay."

The two were deeply trouble at that.

"Send for or , King Cecrops."

"Achilles is a stubborn man, and won't come. But we can trust Perseus for this."

With the suggestion of Athena and Theseus, the king of Athens agreed.

"For now this meeting is adjourned. Goddess Athena, when should be the next council at Olympus?"

"A month from now."

"That's too long..... but we must hold off the threats for now. Perseus will lead the reinforcements to Serifos."

The king ended the meeting. As the others went out, only Athena was left in that dark room lit by candles. She was staring outside the window, into the sea.

 In that direction, she had faced Echidna. Though that battle ended in their victory, the loss of 'him' due to their late response gave a scar to her heart. She was not there when he died. She would have chosen to die with him in the battlefield but she must now live in order to not let his efforts go to vain.

"Master........ why did you die and left us here......"

______________________________________________________________

Alter woke up with a start.

Rubbing his eyes, he tried calling for Lilliana.

"Lily, where are you?"

"Don't call me by weird nicknames."

There was Lilliana, cooking wild bird eggs. The scent was appetizing, Alter thought.

"Where should we go after eating? The fog did not show signs of clearing."

"We still must find a way. Should we still look blindly?"

"Then lets mark trees as landmarks."

After eating, they immediately went out to travel. Cutting trees and putting landmarks while they go, they managed to find another scenery after hours of walking in the dense jungle. They had traveled for nearly the whole day, due to constantly returning to certain locations due to the fog. As the moon became visible in the night sky, Alter and Lilliana stopped and rested on a clearing for the night.

Breeuurrrrr!! Breuurrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Something roared and was rushing at them in high speed. The two immediately ducked, avoiding something huge and black that stampeded to where they had been.

"Tha-"

"Whoa. A huge black pig!!"

"No its not!! Its a boar!!!"

The black boar, with its back covered in black sharp bristles, had its red eyes glaring at the two of them. It again roared and rush towards them at high speeds. Lilliana and Alter tried blocking and stopping its sharp tusks, but the force of the boar's charge had them flying off.

"Whoa!!!!

"Kyaaaaa!!!"

Alter crashed into a tree, while Lilliana fell on the ground. But the area where she had fallen was not safe at all. Alter, recovering from the impact, and saw where Lilliana had fallen.

"Lily, don't move abruptly!!"

The red haired girl was stuck in a large, wide quicksand. She tried moving her body, but it only increased the rate of her sinking.

"Use your divinity!!"

"I can't!! Its eating at my powers!!"

Alter did not have the luxury to think as the large black boar charged against him. Its body seemed to melt in the darkness due to its color,

"Shit!!"

He managed to duck at the right moment, its tusk almost impaling his left hand.

"Th-that was close!!"

Thinking quickly, he accessed his inventory, trying to find the necessary one among the sea of items inside. Another charge from the boar had forced him to cancel his search and evade it first. He had a hard time since the boar was blending in the dark.

"Whoa!! This thing is really quick!!"

He released his divinity and used Gold's power.

God Mode!

(Deposed King Form)

And casted time magic to slow down the rate of Lilliana's sinking. He also debuffed the boar, slowing its time perception.

Continuing his search, he managed to find what he's looking for.

"!!"

A rope that looked like a thread had extended from his hand. He aimed for the sinking Lilliana whose chest area had already sunk.

"Lily, grab!!!"

Lilliana managed to catch the extending rope, and clung quickly to it. Alter waited for the black boar's next charge, positioning himself at the right area. And when the monster recovered, it charged blindly against Alter.

"This is gonna be tricky!!"

Alter timed his move, and when the boar was only a few meters away, that's when he evaded.

"Yes!"

He had left the magical rope Gleipnir in the air as he jumped sidewards, becoming stuck to the boar's tusk. He lured it again, this time to the direction away from the quicksand. The boar's actions allowed Lilliana to be lifted from the quicksand. As she was pulled to safety, she immediately activated her divinity. 

With two gods the vicinity, the boar who felt danger ran away, leaving the two panting.

"What was that boar?! That was the first time I saw that."

"Its... a ."

Alter used 'World's Truth' and found information about the monster.  The description tells that even a group of heroes would take a hard time defeating its tough hide.  And that it was impervious to any kind of magic.

If he was in full power like in the past, killing it would not even make him sweat, but now his powers were limited. He needs additional help aside from Lilliana. As he was thinking this, he felt something weird. Some mysterious scent wafted throughout the surroundings, Looking to his side, Lilliana had fallen unconscious. 

"Lily!! This is-

Sleeping Gas.

But he did not have time to utter the words as his consciousness faded due to late realization of the scent's origin. Before he completely fell asleep, he heard some voices. From the high pitched voiced, it would probably be a group women,

"Had it fallen asleep already?"

"Yeah, I thinks so. Something that can even make gods fall asleep...."

"Mistress, lets go back to the grove."

"Hey hey what about this man?"

"Leave it alone, right mistress?."

"Good, lets go. Red haired girl, thank us from saving you from the clutches of that man."

They carried the unconscious Lilliana towards the mist.

The last thing Alter saw was a bright silver haired woman, holding a silver bow, and was beautifully glowing like the moon.

-Chapter End-

Author's notes:

These are the newly introduced characters, if anyone might be confused

King Cecrops- the lizard beastman King of Atheneum.

Athena- she's so famous you don't have to know her anymore.

Theseus- one of the top Guild members, recieving the 'Hero' title after many feats. Also holds Adamantium-class membership ID in the guild. (Currently the top rank in the list)

Antipater- an old elven warrior which lived more than a hundred years, acting as the Hellenic Emperor's deputy. 

Perseus- one of the strongest heroes in the League.